Fly-poison plate



(No Model.) I

J. H. SMITH. FLY POISON PLATE, &c.

No. 601,597. Patented Mar. 29, 1898.

. UNITE 'IATES JAY IIUNGERFORD SMITH, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

FLY-POISON PLATE, 800.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 601,597, dated March 29, 1898.

Application filed November 3, 1897. Serial No. 657,286. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J AY HUNGERFORD SMITH, a citizen of the United States,residin g at Rochester,in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fly-Poison Plates or Dishes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of articles known as fly-poison dishes or plates, and is designed as an improvement upon the flypoison dish or plate disclosed in my application for Letters Patent filed the 30th day of June, 1897, and numbered in serial 643,012.

This invention has for its object the provision of a fly-poison dish or plate which will accomplishthe purpose intended with greater efficiency than any previous device of the general class of which I am aware.

It has been found that the utilization of receptacles or containers for fly-poison paper in the semblance of plates is open to the objection that children may drink poisoned water from the plate and be made dangerously or fatally ill if the poison used, as is generally the case, is a severe one, and I have found, further, that devices of this character best servetheir purpose when the sheet of fly-paper is composed of absorbent material so supported that its surface will lie above the top of the water and will become saturated with the water and keep itself fed to the point of saturation as long as the supply of water lasts. The flies will alight upon the \vet surface of the sheet of poisoned paper and drink therefrom and are poisoned and die. Heretofore it has been usual to saturate a piece of poisonpaper, so that a fly will alight on and drink from its poisoned surface, but the water of saturation very rapidly evaporates, leaving the sheet dry and useless. My invention obviates this objection and, as stated above, provides a fly-poison plate or dish in which the poison-paper is supported above the surface of the water'contained in the dish and by absorption is saturated and kept saturated while the supply of water lasts.

My present invention consists in a fly plate or dish constructed as hereinafter described, and set forth in the claims following this specification.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand, make, and use my invention, I will now describe the same in detail, referring to the drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view of the flypoison dish or plate constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the blank sheet of absorbent poison fly-paper scored as described. Fig. 3 is a'similar view of the sheet of paper after its ends have been bent beneath its body portion and before it is secured to the dish or plate. Figs. 4 and 5 are views of modifications.

Inthe drawings the reference-numeral 1 indicates my improved fly-poison dish or plate, which is composed of a bowl 2, surrounded by a raised rim 3, which is provided with a series of approximately elliptic-shaped openings 4, which in respect of their length extend diagonally from the edge of the bowl toward and nearly to the circumferential edge of the rim. The openings 4 insure with reasonable certainty the impossibility of a child drinking the poisoned water from the dish or plate, as vwhen it is tipped the water will escape through the openings before reaching the lips of the child. As a further guard the elliptic-shaped openings 4 are separated by arms 5, arranged diagonally to the radii of the rim, so that they will not permit the water to flow out upon them to the edge of the rim of the dish or plate, and thus cannot be possibly taken into the mouth of the child or in contact with its lips. By this diagonal arrangement of the connecting or separating arms it is practically impossible for any of the water to reach the edge of the rim of the plate. These diagonal arms 5 are also, as shown on the drawings, wider at their inner and outer ends than in the middle, and the arrangement of the elliptic openings 4 and the peculiar diagonal arms aifords the greatest amount of opening for the escapeof water with the least weakening of the rim, as will be apparent.

The reference-numeral 6 indicates the sheet of poisoned fly-paper, which is composed of any suitable absorbent material impregnated with a suitable poison which will be absorbed in or poison the water. The sheet, as'shown in the drawings, is preferably rectangular and at its four corners is scored, as at 7, as shown, to enable the corners to be bent under and upon the sheet, as illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The sheet thus constructed is secured to the bowl 2 of the dish or plate by attaching the bent-under ends thereto, as at 8, with any suitable waterproof cement. In this manner the surface or body of the poisoned sheet is supported above and out of contact with the bowl 2 of the plate, affording a passage and reservoir 9 for water under the sheet.

When water is poured into the bowl of the dish or plate, it finds its way under and around the poisoned sheet 6, which at once absorbs the water until it becomes saturated therewith and its surface wetwith the poisoned water. This affords the best manner of inducing the flies to drink the poisoned water, as they will alight upon the poisoned surface of the fly-paper and drink therefrom when they would not drink from the surface of the body of water.

By my improved construction it will also be seen that the absorbent sheet of poison-paper 6 will feed itself to the point of saturation by absorption from the reservoir 9 thereunder and therearound and by capillary attraction through the bent-over corners of the sheet until the supply of water in the bowl is eX- hausted. When the poison of a sheet is eX-.

. hausted, it is only necessary to place a fresh sheet thereon, and this will keep saturated by absorption through the original sheet.

In Figs. 4 and 5 I have illustrated slightly different means of supporting the sheet of poisoned paper in the bowl of the dish or plate.

In Fig. 4 the sheet of paper is rectangular and is suitably cemented at its corners to the bowl, with its body above and out of contact with the bottom of the bowl,'and in Fig. 5 the sheet is circular and is cemented around its circumference to the interior of the bowl in the same manner illustrated in Fig.4, an opening being provided for the introduction of water into the bowl beneath the poisoned sheet.

I do not confine myself to the particular manner shown of supporting the sheet of My invention contemplates, broadly,any

means for supporting the sheet of poisoned absorbent fly-paper above and out of contact with the bowl of the dish or plate, so that the surface of the poisoned paper will be saturated with and feed itself to saturation of the water contained in the reservoir beneath and around it as long as the supply of water lasts.

My improved plate may be constructed of any suitable material; but I preferearthenware or waterproof paper, which can be cleaned by washing.

The dish or plate and the sheet of poisoned paper may be of any suitable shape-such as square, round, orhexagonal-and other modifications will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art Without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim is' l. The combination with a fly-paper dish or plate, of a sheet of poisoned paper supported in the bowl thereof with its body above and out of contact therewith, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination with a fly-paper dish or plate, of a sheet of poisoned paper having its corners bent under and secured to the bowl of the dish or plate, whereby the body of the poisoned paper is supported above and out of contact with said bowl, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAY HUNGERFORD SMITH;

Witnesses:

CURTIS FITZ SIMoNs, ISOLA E. GoEToHIUs. 

